Return to Amestris
by Kid Icarus Girl
Summary: When Erika visits her grandmother in Resembool, she finds a set of mysterious journals filled with information on the science known as Alchemy. While experimenting, she sends herself back in time, and into our world, where she meets two boys who ended up in our world using Alchemy as well. Erika becomes determined to make it back home with her friends, but will she make it back?
1. The Journals

The countryside was alive with the sound of young children running by, and people hollering to each other from across their fields. It was the beginning of summer break, and Erika Kaufmann had to spend the whole two months with her grandmother in Resembool, a boring town on the outskirts of the State of Amestris, of all places. She would've liked it better back at home in Central City where she could go swimming with her friends; her parents had installed an in-ground pool in their yard- and her little brother was going to get to use it first! But, her grandmother needed someone to be there for her, and Erika was prepared to sacrifice her entire summer for her family.

"Remember Erika; don't pester your grandmother- she's dealing with enough stress as it is," The muffled voice of her mother said from the speaker of Erika's cell phone, "and don't forget to call her 'Oma'; she says it reminds her of the time when you were little- and your grandfather was still alive."

"I'll remember," Erika replied as she trudged down the sidewalk, "bye." Erika snapped her phone shut as she stopped at a small house. It seemed quite out of place; a small house on the top of a large, grassy hill. "I sure hope this is Oma's house," she muttered to herself as she dragged her suitcase up the creaking stairs, "it feels like I've been walking all day." Once she had dragged her things up to the door, it slowly creaked open.

"Erika, is that you?" a short lady with silvery wisps of hair asked from behind the door.

"It's me, Oma," Erika said with a smile, "How did you know I was here?"

"Oh, I could hear the creaking of those old stairs. I really must get those fixed. Now darling, do come in!" Oma said with a smile as she took Erika's hand. Erika couldn't help but smile as the vaguely familiar scent of fresh baked apple pies filled her nose. The old black and white pictures which covered every wall seemed to call out to her- she definitely felt at home with Oma.

"Have you been visited by any patients lately?" Erika asked as she set her suitcase down near the kitchen.

"Not lately," Oma sighed as she pulled a pie from the oven, "No one goes for automail anymore; they all want the light, plastic prosthetic limbs. The downside to them is they don't function like automail; they don't function like a real arm or leg." Oma, since she was a young girl, had been creating mechanical limb replacements called automail for those who had lost an arm or leg during one of the many wars between Amestris, and one of the neighbouring countries, Drachma. It was also created for those who had lost limbs in car accidents, and even those who had been born without a fully developed limb.

"Don't worry Oma," Erika said as she sat down on one of the padded chairs, "you'll get some traffic here sooner or later." She highly doubted her own words, but she had to tell her grandmother something. The two were silent for a long while until Erika decided to change the conversation topic. "Oma," she began, "may I visit your study? You told me that a friend of your grandmother's once kept some of his research notes there before he left Amestris; I wanted to know if I-"

"Could read his notes and become a good for nothing State Alchemist?" Oma interrupted as she set her pie on the window sill to cool. "Erika, that friend of mine, his son became a State Alchemist after reading those notes; he became one of the military's attack dogs; they slapped a collar onto his neck and held him by a leash to hold him back from being with his family. That decision nearly cost him his life- on a number of occasions. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you, and I was partially responsible for it."

Alchemy is the science of reshaping or combining different kinds of matter to suit your needs. When used correctly, Alchemy could make a life a million times better than it originally was. But, when used incorrectly, it resulted in very dire consequences.

"State Alchemists are not good for nothing," Erika countered, "my father- your son is a State Alchemist; he made our lives amazing! Sure, they're forced to do things they might not want to, but that doesn't mean they're taken advantage of like that!"

"Erika Marie Kaufmann, this conversation is now closed!" Oma said sternly. "You will not read those research notes- not if I can help it." Erika opened her mouth to protest, and then hesitantly closed it. She hadn't even been in the house for an hour and was already bickering with her grandmother. "Now that we have that out of the way," Oma said with a quiet sigh, "why don't you go and make yourself comfortable in your room?"

Erika trudged into the room closest to the stairs and nudged the door open. She sighed deeply as the smell of flowers wafted towards her from the open window. Despite feeling depressed and defeated, she still managed to smile. Sunlight filled the room, making the whitewashed walls look like the light was emanating from the paint itself. The dresser was covered with pictures of two young boys. In the corner sat a small bed. It wasn't much of a room, but then again, her grandmother didn't have much for money; she couldn't afford to buy anything too fancy. "Well, I guess I'll just have to make the best of this," Erika sighed as she set her suitcase on her bed and began to unpack.

xXx

_Beep, beep, _The alarm Erika had set on her cell phone began to charm. She groggily sat up in bed and grabbed her phone from the makeshift table she'd made from her suitcase and four large stacks of books. _Eleven o' clock PM _the analog clock read as she pressed a button, turning off the blaring alarm. "Better now than never to get into the study," she whispered to herself as she tiptoed across the floor, wincing as the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. _'Finally,' _Erika thought as she slipped into the study, the door softly clicking closed behind her, _'I made it in.'_ Carefully, she felt around and eventually found a small table with a gas lamp and matches. As quietly as she could, Erika struck a match and lit the lamp, illuminating the room. "This is amazing," she thought aloud as she browsed the many shelves filled with books ranging from the basics of Alchemy; to how to create a Chimera; a life form made by fusing two or more separate life forms to the core. As she pulled two particularly thick books from their spots, she noticed something peculiar. Set into the wall was a secret shelf that had been blocked by the thick books in Erika's hands. Upon the shelf were four leather bound journals. "Jackpot," Erika said quietly, "there'll be a ton of good info in these." Carefully, she took the journals and slid the thick books back in place, and crept over to the gas lamp, the journals tucked under her arm. As quietly as she could, Erika flipped the small switch on the lamp's base, cutting off its gas supply on her way out of the room. "Sorry Oma Winry," she whispered as she tiptoed back into her room, "but I just had to get my hands on the research of such an intelligent alchemist."

xXx

Throughout the next handful of weeks, Erika stayed up late at night, reading through the journals she had managed to snag. One night, while leafing through the fourth journal, one page caught her eye. 'The Philosopher's Stone' the label read.

"I've never heard of that," Erika said quietly, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn about it." Letting her curiosity get the best of her, she began to read.

_'The Philosopher's Stone is known by many other names;'_ the journal read, _'the Elixir of Life, the Sage's Stone, and many others. The Philosopher's Stone is an Alchemic amplifier; while using its awesome power in a transmutation, you have the ability that no other alchemist does; you can ignore the laws of Alchemy, the most important one being Equivalent Exchange. No one has successfully found or created a true Philosopher's Stone, but rather, they have_ _made unstable fakes, sometimes referred to as prototype stones or Red Stones. There have been a number of rumors spread around about alchemists using the stones in Human Transmutations.'_

"Human what?" Erika exclaimed. Human Transmutation was an attempt to transmute a human- create a body and bring a lost loved one's soul back from beyond what was known as 'the Gate'; where all things given to the principal of Equivalent Exchange are taken to and destroyed; and rebind the soul it to its body. Erika had read somewhere that Human Transmutations were strictly forbidden by the State because they always resulted in serious injury, or much worse.

Taped below the entry were two red stones, which Erika carefully pulled from the sticky backing. She assumed they were fake Philosopher's Stones.

"Well, if these stones were left in the Human Transmutation section," Erika said as she closed the journal and shoved it under her bed, "maybe it means that I can transmute safely with them."

xXx

"Erika, wake up, dear," Oma called from the kitchen.

"Coming," Erika said groggily as she sat up in bed; three weeks worth of staying up late at night and reading wasn't as easy as she'd thought. She slowly trudged to the kitchen, and plopped herself down into one of the chairs.

"It looks like all that reading about Alchemy tuckered you out," Oma said quietly as she placed a plate of pancakes in front of her granddaughter, "you really must be determined to learn Alchemy." Erika froze; did her grandmother just say what she thought she'd said?

"S-sorry?" Erika stuttered. Did her grandmother know about what she'd done?

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't figure it out sooner or later?" Oma asked with a sigh, "I knew you'd eventually find those journals. When you stopped asking about the research notes, I knew something was up. I checked on the journals last night- they were gone, and I knew you'd taken them."

"I'm sorry Oma," Erika replied guiltily, "I know the journals weren't mine to take, but I had to read those notes."

"You're just like your father was when he was your age," Oma began. Erika hung her head low, expecting her grandmother to tell her how unimpressed she was. "You've got a thirst for knowledge, which you'll try to quench in any way you can." she replied with a smile. Erika looked up at her grandmother, a look of shock on her face.

"You're not upset with me?" Erika asked, "Not even a little?" The fact that Oma wasn't upset came as a real shock to her.

"I'm not pleased that you took the journals without asking," Oma replied, "but I'm glad you've finally found something you love and are passionate about. Just promise me you won't join the Military as a State Alchemist."

"I promise, Oma," Erika said as she hugged her grandmother, "I promise."

As Erika picked at her breakfast and her grandmother walked about the kitchen, cleaning and cooking at the same time, she felt more and more compelled to ask her grandmother about the one thing that had been floating around in her mind for the past couple of days.

"Oma," she said softly. Her grandmother turned to look at her. Erika was extremely afraid to ask about it. She didn't know what to expect her grandmother's reaction to be like.

"Yes, Erika? Is there something you'd like to talk about?" Oma asked as she placed her dish rag on the counter and sat down at the breakfast table.

"What do you know about Human Transmutation?" Erika asked quietly. She looked into her grandmother's eyes, looking for any sign of anger. All she could see was shock, and maybe even fear.

Oma stood up and walked over to the sink, "I don't know too much about it, but I know it's forbidden," she said as she began to wash the dishes, "and I know that there were two alchemists here in Resembool who tried it."

"What happened to them?" Erika asked, sounding more eager than she intended, "where are they now? Are they still here? Did they succeed?"

"They died." Oma said bluntly. Erika looked up at her grandmother. She didn't seem to want to talk anymore.

Erika placed her plate on the counter beside the dishes, "thanks for chatting with me, Oma." she said as she left the room.

Oma sighed and glanced at Erika as she walked into her room and shut the door behind her, "please Erika, don't try to make the impossible possible."

xXx

Erika sat in her room, the journal with the entry on Human Transmutation open in her hands. "I hate seeing Oma upset; I haven't seen her smile for so long. If only Opa was alive." she sighed as she examined a symbol on a page. "Wait a minute," she murmured as she set the journal aside and flipped open the other three journals and examined the symbols drawn in them. "Eureka!" she said as she grabbed her pen and flipped to a blank page in the first journal, "Now I'll be able to pull it off for sure!"

xXx

It was a dark outside, and the crash of thunder could be heard harmonizing with the sound of the rain pelting the window of Erika's room. The journals she had been reading and writing in were spread lying open on the floor, each showing a complex circular geometric pattern; a transmutation circle. Erika had been studying each one carefully, eventually realizing that when layered together, they became what looked like one large transmutation circle that could be used to transmute a human. The first journal with the first circle drawn in it had an entry that suggested that the array displayed below it was the only transmutation circle that, theoretically, would allow an alchemist to transmute a human. Erika knew better than that. The circle looked incomplete. She traced each circle in each journal onto individual pieces of transparent plastic and layered them together, revealing the complete circle. Upon discovering the array, Erika, at that time not knowing about the consequence of violating the taboo, was convinced that she would be able to use it.

"These five points create a steady flow of energy," Erika said to herself as she gestured to the chalk drawing of her array which she had carefully transferred onto the floor, "but what exactly do I need the energy for?" Now even more compelled to try out the array, Erika pulled a large wooden box out from under her bed. She quietly flipped the latches open, revealing twenty or so bags, each filled with a different kind of element. "I hope Oma won't mind me using the Alchemy tools she had in the study," Erika said to herself, knowing full well that she was really crossing the line this time. Slowly and carefully, she measured out the proper amount of each powder contained within the bags, all according to the information in the journals. "…Carbon, Calcium, Magnesium, and last, but not least, Sulfur." Erika mumbled as she poured the powders into the center of her circle. She quickly put the bags back in their box, and walked back to the center of the transmutation circle. "This should be enough to bring Opa back." she said as she grabbed a sewing needle she'd transmuted earlier that day. "My blood for his; that's a fair trade, right?" she asked herself as she gently poked her fingertip with the needle. A small bead of blood formed, and dropped down onto the pile of powders. Erika quickly put the needle away, and walked back to the edge of her circle. "I can't forget the last part!" she said with a smirk as she pulled one of the Philosopher's Stones out of her pocket. She placed the stone by the array, and gathered all of her strength. "Here goes nothing," she said to herself as she placed her hands on the edge of the circle. Slowly, the transmutation began to emit a deep blue light. As the transmutation went on, the light grew brighter, and the powders within the circle began to move around. _'It's working,' _Erika thought, a smile spreading across her face. Just as she was about to add more energy to the transmutation, the blue light started to turn red. The humanoid figure in the center of the circle began to twist and turn into something different. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. When Erika opened her eyes, she was sitting before a giant gate, the Philosopher's Stone she was using floating beside her. She stared in horror as the gate opened, and thousands of black tendrils emerged. One of the tendrils snaked its way over to the Philosopher's stone and dragged it into the never-ending darkness beyond the gate. The rest all flew towards Erika, her mouth open wide, and throat burning from all of her screaming. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn't stop the tendrils from grabbing her limbs and pulling her in. On top of that, it seemed that her body was being deconstructed. In bright flashes of white light, parts of her limbs would disappear. "Oma Winry, help me; somebody, please!" Erika screamed as her Oma burst through the door, a look of fear and shock on her face. By the time she had gotten into Erika's room, it was too late. Erika had been dragged back to wherever the tendrils and gate had come from. In the center of the circle was what could only be described as a monster. It didn't even remotely look human.

"This is all my fault," Oma Winry sobbed as she buried her face in her hands, "it's all my fault."

xXx

The light from the setting sun cast a red glow on the buildings. It was getting dark and very cold outside- the evenings in Germany usually weren't as chilly. A boy walked down the street, pulling his brown coat tight around his torso. He hummed softly as he walked. The only thing on his mind was getting back home for a good nights' sleep. As he strolled along, he noticed an unusual shape in the distance, farther down the sidewalk. Now interested, he picked up his pace, his dark gold eyes glittering softly in the dimming light. As he neared, the shape became clearer. Lying on the sidewalk was a girl. The boy gasped and ran towards her.

"Alphonse, what's wrong?" the voice of another boy called. The boy called Alphonse turned to see the owner of the voice, a shorter boy walking towards him. When the boy saw what had troubled Alphonse, he stopped in his tracks. "Oh, this isn't good," he mumbled as he raced over to the girl, "come on; let's get her inside."

_This is chapter one of a story I wrote for my ELA class this past year, and I decided to submit it to make up for my absence here on Fanfiction. I hope you liked it!_


	2. Explanation

Alphonse sat down in the wooden chair near the foot of the bed. It had been almost a day since he'd found that girl. He and his brother had taken her into their home and put her in the small spare bed they had. They had both taken turns watching her; both making sure that she was alright.

"Please wake up soon," Alphonse pleaded quietly as the girl rolled over in bed for the second time that day.

"Oma, help me," she murmured softly as she tossed around, batting at the blankets. It seemed she was trying to fight off someone- or something. As her dream struggle went on, she rolled over one last time, falling off of the bed with a 'thud'.

"That's got to hurt," Alphonse cringed as the girl sprang up into a sitting position, banging her head against the side of a nearby desk.

"Jeeze; this is _not _my day," she groaned as she rubbed her head. As she became more aware of her surroundings, her frustration turned to confusion, and then fear. "Who the heck are you?" she asked in a panic as she backed up against the wall, pointing a finger at Alphonse.

"Stop freaking out; I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Alphonse Elric; my brother and I found you on the street unconscious," he explained, "now, if you don't mind, could you please tell me your name?"

"Erika Kaufmann," the girl stuttered. As Erika examined her surroundings, she began noticing how 'outdated' things seemed. In fact, it seemed like she was in the early 1930's. At that moment, a million questions began to fill her head, but she only managed to spit out a few. "Where am I? What year is it?" she asked slowly.

"You're in Munich, Germany," Alphonse replied, "the year is 1933; why?" With that question answered, Erika's eyes opened wide.

"I sent myself back in time- and on top of that, into another world!" she exclaimed as she grabbed a piece of chalk from her pocket.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Alphonse asked in confusion as Erika began to draw a series of circles and elaborate symbols on the ground- she was recreating the transmutation circle she'd used to accidentally send herself to wherever the heck Munich, Germany was.

"I'm from the future; the twenty first century, and now I'll be returning back to it," Erika said, a look of determination on her face, "thanks for the hospitality Alphonse, but it's time for me to go home." With that, Erika placed her hands on the edge of the circle, and waited for the familiar blue light of the transmutation to shine. But, to her dismay, not even a spark appeared. "What- this can't be right!" Erika growled as she repeatedly slammed her hands down onto the edge of the circle. "No, no, no, no!" she cried as she sat back, burying her face in her hands, her dark hair falling in forward.

"What's going on in there, Al? What's all that about the future?" an unfamiliar voice called. Alphonse turned and watched the boy from the previous day walk in. His golden blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and his golden eyes were filled with concern. As he scanned the scene, his eyes were drawn to the circle on the wooden floor. "Is that a transmutation circle?" he gasped as he rushed over to examine it.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Erika asked as the boy ran his gloved hand along the edge of the circle.

"Because Al and I are Alchemists." he replied.

"Pardon me; I forgot one last introduction. This is my older brother, Edward," Alphonse said with a smile, "and as he said, we're Alchemists."

"_Older _brother?" Erika began, "but he's so much shorter than you." Edward started fuming over that remark.

"I am _not _short." He growled at Erika.

"Don't mind him; he just hates it when people talk about his height." Alphonse laughed.

"Shut up," Edward snapped at his brother.

"Why don't we find a better place to discuss all of this?" Alphonse said, trying his best to stop the oncoming squabbles.

"Great idea," Erika replied as she tried to stand up. Just seconds after, she fell to the floor. "What in the world- oh good lord; what happened to my leg?" Erika asked in a panic as she rolled up her pant leg. Almost all of her left leg was gone. Everything was gone from the thigh down. All she had left was a stump and an automail connection port. "That transmutation took my automail, too!"

"Hey, that looks just like Winry's work," Edward thought aloud, "who fitted you with automail?"

"My Oma Winry did," Erika answered as she rubbed the spot where metal met flesh, "I lost my leg in a car accident when I was younger."

"Winry _Rockbell_?" Alphonse asked, now seeming quite excited.

"Yeah, I think Rockbell is her maiden name." Erika answered.

"That means you're from Amestris!" Edward said in astonishment, "Al and I are, too! How'd you end up in this world?"

"I was studying Human Transmutation," Erika answered. Both Ed and Al exchanged a look of sadness and understanding. It was almost as if they'd known what Erika was going to say. "I read about it in a journal I found in my Oma's house; I was dumb enough to experiment with the transmutation circle I found in the book. A gate of sorts opened up during the transmutation and pulled me into this world, spitting me out in this place."

"That's quite similar to the way we ended up here;" Alphonse began, "seven years ago, Edward and I tried to resurrect our mother through Alchemy. The consequences we faced were horrible. I lost my entire body, and Edward lost his right arm and left leg. Using the last of his strength, Ed bound my soul to a suit of armor. Your grandmother, who at that time was around my age, with the help of _her _grandmother, replaced Ed's missing limbs with automail. For four years after that, the two of us searched for a way to restore ourselves. Eventually, Edward succeeded in getting my body back, but in the end had to sacrifice himself, ending up in this world, automail and all. I ended up as a ten year old boy again. Three years after, I found a way to this world, and back to my brother." Erika was speechless. These two Amestrian boys had committed the taboo of Human Transmutation twice and nearly paid for it with their lives both times.

"Isn't there a way to use Alchemy to get back to our world?" Erika asked hopefully, "Maybe if I change this transmutation circle I can-"

"Forget it. We've tried on a number of occasions to open a portal back home, and they've all failed," Edward interrupted, "this world isn't governed by the laws of Alchemy like ours. There are no Alchemic catalysts we can use."

_'Nice going Ed,' _Alphonse thought, _'dump your negativity on the nearest person.'_

"This world followed the path of an alternate science," Edward explained, "instead of following the path of Alchemy; the path of steam power was followed. Being here means there isn't a way to use Alchemy, and there never will be."

"Never is too strong of a word to use," Erika said defiantly, "Even if it takes me my whole life, I'll find a way back. I have to."

"Try as hard as you want, but it'll all be a waste in the end." Edward said as he stood up and left the room.

"Please forgive my brother," Al sighed as he took Erika's hand, helping her stand on the one leg she had left, "he can be a real downer sometimes. Come with me; I think we might have a spare automail leg somewhere. You're about Ed's height; the leg should be about the right size."

"Thanks," Erika said with a smile as she and Al left the room.

xXx

"Miss Greta Hendel," a scientist cried as he burst through the door, "we've finally succeeded. We found a way to generate enough energy to open the portal to the utopia you spoke of." As he spoke, a woman dressed in a long black coat emerged from the shadows.

"Perfect," the woman called Greta began, "I will soon be able to carry out the wishes of my sister; I will open the gate to Shamballa."


	3. Where Metal Meets Flesh

"Grab hold of something; this might hurt- a lot," Edward warned as he prepared to connect the automail leg he held in his hands to Erika's automail connection base.

"I'm aware of how much it hurts," Erika groaned as she shifted in her seat, squeezing Alphonse's hand tightly, "I'm just not looking forward to feeling all that pain." Al had managed to find Edward's spare automail leg and convince him to let their guest use it; just negotiating with Ed had taken more effort than finding the leg!

"Don't worry about it," Al said reassuringly, "just look away and you won't feel a thing."

"You're talking to me as if I'm a five year old getting a flu shot." Erika said with a smile.

"That's true, but it definitely works." Al replied. Erika turned her head to see that the automail leg was now in place- and she hadn't even flinched!

"I've just got to make a few minor adjustments to the automail connection mechanism to make sure that the leg works properly," Edward explained, "the mechanism isn't exactly compatible with this older leg model. _This _is the _painful _part."

"Oh, good lord," Erika cried, "this really isn't my week, is it?"

xXx

Greta Hendel walked down one of the many hallways of the lab facility she had been working in since the death of her sister. "I promise, dear sister, I will open the portal, and infuse this world with the holy purity of Shamballa." Greta turned left, towards a door guarded by several brutish men.

"This area is off-limits, ma'am," the burliest man said as he stepped in front of the door, the other men forming a protective barrier behind him, "this room is only accessible by members of the Zauber Society." Without saying a single word, Greta reached into the pocket of her coat and flashed a card at the men before her. Upon seeing the card, the men hurriedly moved away from the door. "My apologies, ma'am," the burly man from before stuttered, "I had no idea that you were the Chairman"

"Now you know for next time," Greta began, "who your boss is and who might just fire you on the spot." Without another word, she pushed open the door and disappeared into the room before her.

"Ah, Miss Hendel, how lovely it is to see you again," a tall man wearing a long white lab cloak said with a smile as he approached Greta.

"Do I know you?" Greta asked as she walked over to a table covered in blueprints.

"We've met once before," the man answered, "I am Dr. Reto Heidemann, the head of this stage of your plans."

"Ah, now I remember," Greta said with a smirk, "you came to me with a head full of scientific theories and an empty stomach."

"Yes, that's true, and those theories have lead to the discovery of a way to Shamballa." Dr. Heidemann said as he led Greta into a large room in the center of the lab facility. The two of them stood on a balcony high above the floor, looking down upon a large machine. From high above, it appeared to be a round ring, with five metal rods evenly spaced around the circumference.

"Impressive," Greta murmured, "how does it work?"

"It's quite a complex operation," Dr. Heidemann said as he admired his creation, "the machine creates a hyper excitation of the electric fields that bind the atomic particles that form the gases making up the air we breathe. The energy phase shift creates a void in the time space continuum, which allows making both time and interdimensional travel possible, via inter-quark ionization potential cyclotronic technology. The result is a portal that can remain open for almost half an hour."

"It's perfect," Greta said with a smirk. "We'll activate it tomorrow."

"There's one problem with that, Miss Hendel," Dr. Heidemann said quietly. Greta whipped her head around to look at the scientist.

"What do you mean, 'one problem'?" she hissed in annoyance.

"We haven't exactly figured out how to make the portal stable enough to allow a human to pass through. The soonest we'll be able to use it is eleven days, and that's a gamble." he said, awaiting an angry rant from his superior.

"Well then," Greta said through pursed lips, "I suggest you get to work on that, doctor."

"At once, Miss Hendel," Dr. Heidemann said as he rushed off to continue his work.

"You'd better not fail, Heidemann," Greta hissed as she spun on her heels, walking back towards the door, "or I'll have you back on the street, eating from garbage bins once again."

xXx

"It's got to work this time," Erika growled as she slammed her hands down onto the edge of the tenth circle she'd drawn that week. Alphonse had helped her come up with several different arrays, all of which they'd failed to activate.

"I told you it was useless," Edward sighed as he walked into the room, shaking his head.

"It's not useless," Erika growled at him, clearly upset by his lack of confidence, "I've been here for over a week, and I'm already sick of this place! All you've done is told me that I'll never get home, I'll never this, I'll never that; you're just so negative!"

"Erika, calm down," Alphonse said, "getting angry isn't going to do anyone any favours."

"Me, negative?" Edward snapped, "all you've been talking about is how scared you think your grandma is, and whether you'd transmuted your grandpa right! You've been nothing but a downer since you got here!"

"That's because I've been worried about my family!" Erika yelled, "I ventured into God's domain when I attempted Human Transmutation; I tried to play God- and now my family thinks I'm dead! I'll never see my mom and dad again, my grandmother, or my little brother! I wasn't ever much of a sister to him, and I wanted to change that more than anything, but now I'm not so sure I'll be able to! You, of all people, Edward, should understand! For three years you and your brother were literally a world apart, and I bet it felt like an eternity to you! That's exactly how I feel!" For a long while, the three of them were silent. "I need to get a breath of fresh air," Erika stuttered as she made her way past Edward. She ran through the house, and out the door.

"Nice going, Ed." Alphonse muttered as he chased after Erika, leaving his brother alone.

xXx

"Erika, wait up," Alphonse called after her, "you don't know your way around; you'll get lost!"

"I don't care," she cried as she picked up her pace, "the sooner I get lost, the better. Then Edward won't have to look at me again, and I'll rot away like compost! Besides, it's not like I have a family that'll worry about my disappearance!"

"You're upset and you aren't thinking rationally;" Al said as he started running as fast as he could to try and keep up with Erika, "you'll get yourself in a ton of trouble if you're not careful!"

"I don't give a damn!" Erika yelled, "I have no family here, and nobody who would make me part of theirs! No one here cares about what happens to me!"

"That's not true_,_" Al said to her as he finally matched her pace, "you've got a friend who cares about you, and he's right here." Slowly, Erika stopped running, giving Alphonse some time to catch his breath.

"You actually care about me?" she asked as Al placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course I do," he said softly, "you're one of the best friends I've had in a long time. You're exactly like Winry; sweet, funny, caring; you're an amazing person."

Erika looked down at her feet. Ever since she'd been taken to this new world, she'd longed to be comforted by someone who genuinely understood how she felt, and Alphonse, bless his heart, did.

_'I won't cry,' _she thought as she felt warm tears roll down her cheeks, _'crying means you're weak, and weaklings don't survive in the world!'_

Alphonse noticed how hard Erika was trying to keep her tears from falling and sighed. He used to do the same thing when he was younger. "It's always okay to cry;" he said softly, "we all do it. Even soldiers cry."

That did it. She couldn't stop herself from bursting into tears. Erika buried her face in her hands and cried.

"No matter how many times you may fall down in life," Al began once Erika began to calm down, "there's always someone out there to get you back up on your feet."

"Thanks Al," Erika said softly as she turned around and hugged him, "you're sweet too." For a short while, Alphonse seemed quite flustered and uncomfortable, but eventually smiled and returned the hug.

"Please don't try to run away like that again," Al said as the two of them pulled apart, and Erika slid her hand into his, "as I said before, this world isn't safe."

"I promise." Erika said as she wiped away her tears.

"Let's get back home," he said softly as the two turned back the way they'd come from. The second they started walking, they collided with a tall woman in a black coat.

"Watch where you're going, you little brats," she hissed at them as she picked up the folder she'd dropped. She glared at them; her piercing blue eyes seemed to stare into their souls. With that, she took off down the sidewalk at a brisk pace.

"It looks like she dropped some paperwork," Erika said as she picked up a couple pieces of paper from the ground, "Hey lady, you dropped some of…" by the time Erika had turned around, the woman had disappeared.

"Let me take a look at those," Alphonse said as he took a glance at the papers. As he read some of the information on them, he shook his head in disbelief. "Let's get these to Ed;" he said hurriedly, "he'll be interested in taking a look at them."

xXx

Edward stood in front of the window, the evening sun casting shadows down on the street below. Slowly, he slid the white glove off of his right hand, revealing his automail arm. He rolled up his sleeve and sighed as the sunlight glinted off of the polished metal.

"Maybe it _isn't_ impossible to make it back home," Edward said as he turned to look at the many circles drawn on the floor.

"Edward," Alphonse called from the doorway, Erika right behind him, "you're going to want to see these papers." Judging by how excited the two of them seemed, they really wanted him to take a look at them.

"What are they?" he asked as he took the papers.

"Plans for a spectacular machine, that's what they are!" Alphonse said happily as Edward examined the papers. Erika crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

"These are Zauber Society plans!" Edward exclaimed in shock, "These plans would be considered classified!"

"Zauber Society? What exactly is that?" Erika asked quietly as she turned to look at the small logo printed on the top right hand corner of one of the papers.

"The Zauber Society is an independent group of scientists who believe that it's possible to open pathways to other worlds- at least that's what the government tells everyone;" Edward answered, "how did you get these?"

"We accidentally bumped into someone on our way back here;" Alphonse explained, "she dropped the papers without noticing. We tried to return them to her, but by the time we'd gathered them, she'd already left."

"It's a good thing you didn't give her the papers," Ed said as he spread the papers out on a nearby table, "the Zauber Society is planning to use a machine to open a portal leading to 'Shamballa'; a utopia often referred to by the Hindu people, and fuse it with this world. These are the main blueprints and activation instructions. A lunatic I met before tried to do something quite similar to this."

"That's horrible!" Alphonse gawked as he took in the information he'd just been given, "A process like that is extremely dangerous!" Now really interested, Erika shifted her gaze to the rolled up blueprint in Edward's hands.

"That's not all," Edward said darkly, "they plan to fuse Shamballa with this world; there are two problems with that. One, if Shamballa really exists, there isn't enough energy in the entire world to create a portal to such a place. Not even Alchemy could allow us to do it. Two, by my calculations, they'll be opening a portal that leads to our world; more specifically, into Resembool, Amestris, the year 2013, not Shamballa, or anything remotely close to it."

"We've got to stop this;" Erika said, "during the fusion process, millions of people could die!"

"But how can we?" Alphonse asked, "We're just a couple of normal people. This'll be impossible unless we have some sort of source of Alchemic power- which doesn't exist in this world."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Erika said with a smirk as she reached into her pocket. Edward and Alphonse gasped as she pulled the one remaining Red Stone she'd taken with her to the past from her pocket.

"Is that a Red Stone?" Alphonse asked in amazement, "How did you get one?"

"I'd originally found and taken it from one of the journals I'd used as a reference guide back at home;" Erika explained, "I'd completely forgotten that I'd had it in my pocket when I first attempted to return home. After I learned about how you two ended up here, I decided I wouldn't leave this world without taking you both with me. Because the stone is unstable, I decided not to use it; there was no telling when it would lose its power during a transmutation and cause some serious injuries. Despite being a fake Philosopher's Stone, it is still extremely powerful, and a source of Alchemic energy. If we're careful enough, we can use it to power our Alchemy. It'll also allow us to use Alchemy without a circle. I used the second one I had while trying to transmute my Opa."

"That explains why you paid so little to the gate; it took the Philosopher's Stone as payment!" Al mused as he stared at the small object in Erika's palm.

"If we use some of the Alchemic catalysts within the stone to split it into three, we'll each have an equal amount of energy to work with!" Ed exclaimed, his eyes shining with renewed hope, hope that Al hadn't seen in a long time, "What are we waiting for? Let's get to work!"

xXx

"Miss Hendel," Dr. Heidemann said as Greta Hendel walked into the laboratory, her folder tucked under her arm, "If you don't mind, I would like to see the blueprints for the machine; I plan on making some last minor modifications before we activate it this evening."

"Of course, doctor," Greta said quietly as she opened up her folder and flipped through the thick mound of papers. "What?" she growled as she scanned the folder once again for the papers she wanted, "they're gone!"

"What do you mean, 'gone'?" Dr. Heidemann asked.

"I mean just that," Greta snapped, "those little brats on the street must've taken them!"

"I can't modify the machine without those blueprints," Dr. Heidemann pointed out, "are you sure you don't have them?"

"I'm never wrong, Doctor;" Greta replied coldly, "we'll just have to move onward with my plan. Once those children figure out what we've been planning, they'll take it upon themselves to play the 'Hero' game and attempt to foil my plans!"

"But Miss Hendel, it's still unsafe;" Dr. Heidemann warned, "the machine could kill someone if the portal it generates is unstable; it could kill anyone who gets close enough to be pulled through!"

"Do I look like I really care about what happens to a couple of idiots who get too close?" Greta asked, "We will set the third phase of my plan into motion tonight!"

xXx

Erika sat in her bedroom, playing with her new skirt. If she was going to live in this strange world where Munich, Germany was, she would have to blend in with all of the other young women. A sweet lady named Gracia who owned a flower shop across the street had been more than happy to lend her some clothing. She was just about to slip on her shoes when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she called, expecting Alphonse to be coming in to tell her it was time to get to work. She was quite surprised to see that it was Edward who had been knocking.

"Sorry for the intrusion." he said as he gently closed the door behind himself.

"You're not intruding at all;" Erika said as she slipped her feet into her shoes and began walking about the room, "is there something you'd like to talk about?"

Edward sat down in a chair in the corner of the room, "yes, actually. About what happened earlier…"

"I know, I lost my temper," Erika said with a sigh, "and it was wrong of me to blow up like that."

"That's not at all what I was going to say;" Ed said as Erika pulled a chair over and sat down, "I shouldn't have said the things I did. They were hurtful and rude. I know that being tossed into this place must be overwhelmingly terrifying for you, and you have the right to be worried about your family."

Erika looked down at her hands. She was indeed terrified of this strange world, and was almost always thinking about her family.

"I guess what I'm trying to say," Edward said as he squirmed in his seat; apologizing was always hard for him, "I'm sorry."

The two of them were quiet for a while. Soon after, Erika looked up at Edward. "Back in Resembool, Oma Winry told me that there were two Alchemists who used to live there. She said that the two of them tried Human Transmutation and died. Now, I think she was talking about you and Al. She lied to me about you two. Why would she do that?"

Edward sighed, "she was trying to protect you. She was partially telling the truth, though. Al and I nearly died transmuting our mother. She didn't want that to happen to you. She was afraid that you would try something foolish and end up like the two of us. I joined the Military as a State Alchemist, and because of that, I had to do a ton of things I didn't want to, and more often than not, Al got dragged into it. We made a ton of foolish mistakes, and this is the hell we were allotted for them."

Erika clenched her fists tightly; she had completely ignored her grandmother's warnings, and now she had gotten herself into this mess. She blinked hard to try and stop the tears in her eyes from falling; she had promised herself that there was absolutely no way she would cry again. _'It's okay to cry,' _Erika then remembered Alphonse say to her. "I'm sorry," she stuttered as her tears began to fall, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Edward said gently, "don't be."


	4. Return to Amestris

"This had better work," Edward said as he sat down at the edge of the complex array he'd drawn with the help of Alphonse and Erika. They'd placed the Red Stone in the center of it, hoping to transmute it into three separate ones.

"If it doesn't work, the world will be royally screwed." Erika said darkly.

"That's rather encouraging." Alphonse said sarcastically as he sat down beside his brother.

"Sorry; I'm just really anxious right now," Erika sighed, "this is the moment of truth for me, and I'm praying that it won't mess up."

"There's only one way to find out if it will or won't," Edward said as he held his hands above the edge of the transmutation circle, indicating that the others should as well, "we try." The three young Alchemists placed their hands on the edge of the circle, and watched in amazement as it began to emit a bright light.

"It's working; it's actually working!" Al cried happily, "I knew it would!" As the light intensified, the Red Stone began to twist and turn in all directions. Erika watched intently as the stone stretched out and split into three separate ones.

"It actually worked," Ed gasped as the light faded away, allowing him to gaze at the three stones before him, "it didn't backfire."

"Of course it worked!" Erika exclaimed as she picked up the stones, a wide grin spread across her face. She could almost feel the power of the stones surging through her body. "Science, on a number of occasions, has proven that it's possible, and science never lies."

"Now all we've got to do is find a way to the Zauber Society headquarters." Edward said as he took one of the stones and pocketed it.

"Leave that to me," Alphonse said with a smile, "I know exactly where to go."

xXx

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Edward asked Alphonse as the group of Alchemists ran down the sidewalk.

"I'm sure," Alphonse responded as they turned right, heading towards a large building, "I walk by it every day; it's pretty hard to miss." The group stopped near the building, hiding in a small alley. Above the door was a sign that read: _Zauber Gesellschaft_, German for Zauber Society.

"It really is hard to miss," Ed said as he gazed up at the top of the large building, "it's monstrous!"

"This is the main entrance," Al explained, "It's used by Zauber Society members to directly access the lab."

"How do we get in without being caught by the guards?" Erika asked as she stared at the tall, muscular men who guarded the door.

"We do this," Edward said mischievously as he piled some dirt onto a piece of paper he'd found on the ground. He held his hands out above the paper, and the Red Stone in his pocket began to glow softly. Then, there was a quick flash of red light. Erika smirked when she saw what Edward had transmuted. The dirt and paper had become two small dirt bombs. "When we throw one of these at the guards, it'll explode, sending dust and dirt everywhere, temporarily blinding them long enough for us to sneak in." Ed explained.

"Clever," Al said as he picked up the bombs and prepared to throw the smaller one, "one," he whispered, "two," he brought his arm back, "three!" Al launched the bomb into the air. It landed in front of the guards, sending dust and dirt in every direction!

"Run!" Ed shouted as they ran through the dust cloud and through the door to the building.

"Where to now?" Erika asked Al as they ran down the many corridors.

"We run around and pray that we don't get lost." he answered as they turned a corner.

"Looks like we've got company." Edward said as he looked over his shoulder at the group of scientists who were now chasing them.

"Turn right and run into the nearest room;" Erika instructed, "that tactic always works." The three Alchemists ran as fast as they possibly could until they reached the next corridor.

"Now!" Ed shouted as they rounded the corner, and flew through the nearest door.

"Jeeze, that was close," Al huffed as the group watched the scientists run by, "I thought we'd be caught for sure."

"But we weren't, were we?" Erika said with a smile, "And, we did it without Alchemy."

"We did, didn't we?" Ed said, a grin making its way onto his face.

"Come on; we've got to find that machine." Erika said as the three of them left the room and continued running down the hallway.

xXx

"Dr. Heidemann," Greta Hendel called impatiently, "have you finished toying with the machine?"

"Miss Hendel, you must understand," Dr. Heidemann said, "it is extremely dangerous to activate this machine at this point in time. The portal will be highly unstable, and could kill anyone who attempts to pass through!"

"Listen to me, Heidemann," Greta snapped, "you are going to turn this machine on, and send my men through the portal, or you can take off that white coat of yours and walk right out of this building!" Dr. Heidemann slowly turned around and walked to the control panel, and began to turn on the machine. "Good man," Greta said slyly, "your job is spared."

xXx

"This had better be the room they're keeping the machine in," Erika huffed as she, Edward and Alphonse ran up to a set of two large double doors, "we've tried almost every other door in the building!"

"Let's check it out," Edward said as he opened one of the doors, "this is the room; I can feel it." The three of them slid through the doors, hiding in the shadows, away from lab personnel.

"Hey, isn't that the lady from earlier?" Alphonse asked as he pointed to a familiar woman wearing a long black coat.

"I think it is," Erika replied, "I wonder what she's doing here."

"Can you hear what she's saying to that scientist?" Ed asked Erika as she strained to listen to their conversation.

"She's telling the scientist to activate the machine," Erika replied worriedly, "we've got to stop him."

"I believe a small diversion might work," Al said as he pulled the second dirt bomb from his pocket, "I made sure to take it with us; I knew it would come in handy."

"Good thinking," Ed said with a smirk, "now aim for the center of the room." Al brought his arm back and threw the bomb. It hit the ground and exploded.

"Nice shot!" Erika cheered as the scientists in the room began to panic.

xXx

"Dr. Heidemann, what is the meaning of this?" Greta Hendel snapped as she fanned the dust away from her face.

"I don't know, ma'am," Dr. Heidemann said in a panic, "but it wasn't part of your plans!"

"Don't activate the machine!" an unfamiliar voice called from the main level of the lab. As the dust cleared, Greta could see three children standing in the middle of the room. They were Erika, Alphonse and Edward. Greta immediately identified Erika and Al as the two children she'd collided with on the street.

"You," she hissed, "what are you all doing here? This area is off limits!"

"We're here to stop you from making a huge mistake, lady!" Erika hollered, "You can't fuse Shamballa with this world; it's impossible!"

"My name is Greta Hendel," Greta snapped, "and how would you know what's possible and what isn't? You're just a couple of children!"

"We know because we did the math;" Edward yelled, "it doesn't add up. There isn't enough energy that you could possibly provide to power a portal to Shamballa; that is, if it even exists!"

"My plans are flawless!" Greta growled, "There's no way you can prove me wrong!"

"You have to stop this," Alphonse said, "thousands of people are going to get hurt; your designs are flawed; the portal will kill anyone who gets close to it!"

"You were sent by the government to interfere, weren't you?" Greta yelled, "Do you know what I do to people who interfere? They become lab rats!" Greta turned to look at Dr. Heidemann, "Activate the machine, now!" Reto Heidemann hesitantly placed his hand on the large button that would activate the machine. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He didn't want to do it. He knew it was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hendel," Dr. Heidemann said quietly, "I can't do that."

"You fool," Greta hissed, "you could've saved yourself a ton of trouble." Greta charged at him, shoved him aside, and slammed her hand down onto the button. "Watch as I make history!" The metal rods on the machine started to vibrate and glow red. They were heating up, and fast!

"This isn't good," Alphonse said worriedly as the shape of a pentagon appeared above them, each of its vertices touching the end points of a metal rod. Within the part of the machine that was shaped like a ring, the image of another world appeared.

"It's Resembool," Edward breathed as the image solidified.

"Behold, Shamballa!" Greta screamed as she made her way down to the main level of the room.

"This isn't Shamballa," Erika yelled, "this is a parallel universe- it's a counterpart to this world; it's not what you want!"

"Lies!" Greta cried as she reached up to the image of Resembool, "This is Shamballa, the one and only! As we speak, this world is becoming one with it!"

"Chairman Greta Hendel, please, get away from there!" Dr. Heidemann cried, "It's dangerous!" Greta turned to look at the doctor; her eyes had a wild look to them.

"She's gone mad," Alphonse muttered as Greta looked back at the image above her.

"I will be the one and only person to become holy and pure," she screamed as the portal lifted her upward. As she came closer, parts of her arms disappeared in bright flashes of red light. The portal was destroying her. "I am becoming pure," she screamed as the rest of her body disappeared, "I am God!"

"Children, get away!" Dr. Heidemann called out, "It'll destroy you too!"

"We've got to stop this before it kills anyone else," Erika cried. Then, she noticed how hot the Red Stone in her pocket was. She quickly pulled it out; it was glowing like a star.

"What's going on?" Edward asked as he pulled his stone out; it was glowing as well.

"The stones are reacting to the portal," Alphonse called as he examined all three of their stones, "they're stabilizing it!"

"If the stones are reacting to the portal, that means they've been using a form of Alchemy!" Edward theorized.

"Get away from the portal," Dr. Heidemann called once again, "I can't stop it! It's overriding the switchboard!"

"Don't worry," Alphonse called to Dr. Heidemann, "we've got this under control!"

"If we get through to our world, the three of us can close it from there!" Erika said as she grabbed Al's hand, preparing to jump through.

"No," Al said, holding Erika back, "Ed and I have to stay here and close the portal on this end. You're going to close it on the other."

"What?" Erika stuttered, "But you've got to come back! It's where you two belong!"

"It's the only way this'll work," Ed said, "we need the power of two people combined here in this world; you'll have enough power in the other world. We don't have any family there, while you do."

"That's not a good enough reason," Erika cried as she tried to tug the two of them along, "you might not have a family anymore, but you've got me!"

"Hurry Erika and good luck." Alphonse said as he and Edward let go of her hands as she was pulled into the portal. She landed on the soft grass in a field with a thud.

"Close it, now!" Edward called as he and Alphonse began to seal their end. Erika nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. She clapped her hands together, forming a circle with her arms, and held her hands over the portal. The portal began to glow red and started to shrink.

"Goodbye, Erika," Alphonse called, "I'll miss you." As Erika closed the portal, she began to feel lightheaded and weak. The transmutation was taking too much energy from her. Slowly, her vision began to get blurry, and she blacked out.

xXx

It was warm outside, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Erika sat up and looked around, wondering how she'd ended up in the middle of a field. Then, all of her memories rushed back to her. Edward, Alphonse, transmuting her grandfather, sealing the portal, everything.

"Ed, Al, did you make it through?" Erika called as she looked around frantically. Then, she remembered that they had stayed behind to close the portal on their end. "The three of us could've sealed it on this end; they could've come back home." She said softly, tears trickling down her cheeks. She slowly stood up, blinking the tears from her eyes. As she started walking in the general direction of her Oma's house, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It felt warm and familiar. She spun around and nearly burst into tears when she recognized the faces of the two boys behind her.

"Surprise!" Alphonse said as Erika hugged him tightly, crying tears of joy.

"How did you make it back?" Erika asked as she gazed into Al's golden eyes.

"Just as the portal was about to close, we threw the stones at it, giving us enough time to make through, and sealing the portal for us," Alphonse answered, "it was Ed's idea; if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be here."

"Hey, you're the one with the good arm," Ed said with a smile, "no pun intended."

"Follow me," Erika said as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I know a place where you can stay."

xXx

Erika rang the doorbell, a large grin spread across her face. She couldn't believe she'd made it back home, and with her friends, too. She squeezed Al's hand tightly, and Ed smiled as Oma Winry opened the door.

"Erika, you're alive?" she gasped. She was absolutely shocked to see her presumably dead granddaughter in front of her.

"Of course I am! We Alchemists don't die easily, you know!" Erika joked as she hugged her grandmother.

"I thought I'd lost you," Oma Winry said softly as she looked into Erika's eyes. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Oma, I'd like you to meet Alphonse and Edward Elric," Erika said as she stepped aside, "of course, I believe you might already know them." Oma Winry's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of the two boys.

"Is it really you?" Oma Winry asked as she took the hands of the two boys before her.

"It is; we wouldn't be here without the help of Erika, though." Edward said as he and Alphonse hugged their old friend, memories of their early childhood flooding their minds.

"What do you mean?" Oma Winry asked the two boys.

"That's a long story," Alphonse said as he smiled at Erika.

"Would you three like to come in for a slice of apple pie?" Oma Winry asked, "I just pulled a fresh one out of the oven."

"Yes please," Erika said as she, Ed and Al followed Oma Winry inside, "it'll make this entire summer break worthwhile."

_The End_


End file.
